Irishman receives a huge fine and more after returning from Spanish holiday

A man has received a huge fine and potentially something worse in what proved to be an expensive Spanish holiday trip.

AN Irishman returned to County Fermanagh following a recent trip to Spain’s Balearic Islands but failed to obey quarantine restriction rules and received a hefty fine, and something else.

In a successful operation conducted by police, the man was alleged to have been fined £1,000 (€1,122) after he went out socialising in Enniskillen, the largest city in County Fermanagh at the weekend.

The sizeable fine could potentially be the least important thing for the man to deal with at the moment as he also tested positive for Covid-19.

Protocols in place for those returning from countries such as Spain, involve a two-week self-isolation/quarantine period, with fines being awarded for those that don’t comply.

PSNI Chief Constable, Simon Byrne, told the Policing Board on Thursday that the fine “serves as a reminder that the quarantine regulations are being policed.”

“The management of the Health Protection (Coronavirus, International Travel) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020, is a matter for UK Border Force and their associated partners,” he added.

“The police role is to respond to reports from the UK Border Force or any of their associated partners of potential breaches but police will also act on any significant concerns raised by members of the public,” he continued.

Byrne concluded by saying, “It is encouraging to see that to date there has been a high level of compliance since the introduction of the mandatory quarantine on travellers coming into Northern Ireland from restricted countries and I hope that continues.”

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